"Master Shou, why do you say that?"
The Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor seemed somewhat surprised. He appeared utterly unfamiliar with the three words "Dao Qiongchang."
"Though Dao Qiongchang is a member of my Heaven-Initiating Dao Clan and possesses heaven-bestowed talent, he refused the heart-questioning trial and had no desire to become a Saint Emperor's successor."
"He has practiced the Dao throughout the Five Domains for over thirty years now, and has all but cut off contact with our clan. How can you lump him together with me?"
Not him?
Xu Xiaoshou laughed and slapped the horse at his side.
With a mournful whimper, the old turtle returned, only to grease its feet and scurry away in fright.
The Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor flipped out a palm-sized jade bottle. As soon as he aimed its mouth at the old turtle, it was drawn inside.
Xu Xiaoshou did not stop him.
Through the imprint he had left on the turtle's shell, he could sense that the world inside that jade bottle was merely an ordinary space for living creatures.
But after the old turtle entered the bottle, the imprint was swiftly ground away by the power of the stars. After that, he could glean nothing more.
"Three breaths..."
Erasing the imprint of the Will Dao Disk had taken a full three breaths.
That was enough time for Xu Xiaoshou to do many things—for example, transfer the imprint onto the jade bottle, then from the bottle onto something else.
But he did not do so.
An ordinary person's "three breaths" might truly be three breaths. But the Dao family's "three breaths" could well have been a show of weakness to lure in an enemy.
Just like what the Heavenly Origin Saint Emperor had said...
"More than thirty years of practicing the Dao?"
Xu